Jiubadao denies pursuing lawsuit over Apple apps

Staff writer, with CNA

Author Giddens Ko (柯景騰) on Tuesday said he did not pursue copyright infringement charges against Apple for approving apps allegedly using pirated content of his works.

Ko, better known as Jiubadao (九把刀 or “Nine Knives”), dismissed local media reports that said that he decided to drop all charges against Apple after having met with legal personnel at Apple’s headquarters in Hong Kong a day earlier.

“I did not pursue charges, so how on earth would I be able to drop them? What are those television reports saying? Didn’t they interview me only moments ago?” he wrote on his Facebook page on Tuesday after watching local TV news channels.

Ko’s agent also clarified the situation, saying Apple has removed seven or eight apps reportedly containing pirated content of Ko’s works after the meeting in Hong Kong.

Ko, author and director of the popular film You Are the Apple of My Eye (那些年，我們ㄧ起追的女孩), recently told media he has been filing complaints against Apple for the past two years because several apps on the company’s iTunes Store had infringed upon his copyrights.

However, the US technology giant had not taken the complaints seriously, he said.

The author said that Apple cited difficulty in discerning copyright as a reason for refusing to remove apps that allegedly violated his copyright. Ko added that he has filed an application with the iTunes Store to publish an app he developed with a publishing company to allow users to download 50 of his novels for free.

However, Apple declined his application, saying that that the description of the app was unclear and that it should be listed on iBooks, Apple’s platform for e-books, instead.

Ko’s agent said they were still negotiating with Apple for the app to be made available on the iTunes Store.